Sean Astin Shares His Thoughts On Amazon's Lord Of The Rings TV Series

Actor Sean Astin famously portrayed Sam the Hobbit in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series, and now he's shared his thoughts on Amazon's upcoming TV series.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Astin said he's "very excited" to see the show. In particular, he said he's enthusiastic about the possibilities if the show gets into The Silmarillion.

"If they're digging a lot into The Silmarillion, it might be new information to me. I have not quite made it through The Silmarillion," he said, adding that he thinks Amazon "was great to do it."

Astin also shared that, all the way back in 2002, he predicted that in 20 years the series would be remade for a new audience. "I know in a generation, people want to experience what they love again. I've always been a big one to support sequels and remakes and particularly of classics. A lot of people think, why would you want to remake a classic? The good news is the classic will always remain," he said. "So maybe somebody will do something interesting, and if it stinks, don't watch it.

"But I have every expectation that this Lord of the Rings adaptation is going to be amazing. It's been a long time in the making, really talented people working on it, and it only helps people remember 20 years ago when we brought out our version of Lord of the Rings. So it's good for everyone when stuff like that happens."

Astin also shared his advice for the cast, and that is to "enjoy the ride." The Lord of the Rings is a massive franchise, and Astin said he felt overwhelmed when the original movies came out. "How much energy there was. How many people loved it and all of it," he said.

In addition to Amazon's TV series, Warner Bros. is fast-tracking a Lord of the Rings animated movie for theaters. As for the TV show, it's currently in production in New Zealand and recently added four new cast members. The show has also been in the news lately due to its stunts and injuries on its sets. Amazon responded by saying reports of unsafe working conditions are "completely inaccurate."